Ervin O. Schmidt was aboard the USS California moored at Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941. The aerial attack launched by the Japanese caused the ship enormous damage. Ninety-eight crew members were lost and sixty-one wounded. A motorized launch pulled Schmidt from the water. In the confusion he was listed as missing in action. Before his family learned differently, they held a funeral in his honor. Later, he join the USS Submarine Service, serving aboard the USS Saury, USS Torsk (SS-423) and the USS Balao. (From Submarine Stories of World War II, by Mary Nida Smith)